Days passed, and Neville slipped into his usual routine—or at least that was how it appeared to be. He moved through tasks on autopilot, his mind elsewhere, replaying that one moment again and again.
The day the results came out.
Just like Iris had said, Bryan wouldn't have blurted out the news unless Neville had made it to the final list. Still, nothing could've prepared him for how far he had made it. He stared at the screen, blinking, reading and rereading until the words finally sank in.
TOP 10 PROPOSALS
Black Ocean Project — Neville H.
Warp Route Optimization
Project Budget Plan
Starlight Project — Ethan G.
Material Acquisition Plan
Project Budget Plan
First place.
He had actually gotten first place.
For someone who had never even brushed the edge of any kind of rankings back on Earth, the realization had hit him like a dream—a quiet, almost fragile joy. He should've been celebrating, but then his gaze drifted down.
And there it was—Ethan's name.
